Local communities of Madeiran, Polish, Romanian, British and other backgrounds, enrich the Island and open-up opportunities to create new cultural identities and fresh connections.
According to the most recent census:
There are 62 different languages spoken in schools across the island. The three most spoken languages of multi-lingual pupils in Jersey are Portuguese, Polish and Romanian.
Jersey’s first language policy in schools has helped support language learning in all Jersey schools and has increased awareness of Jersey’s diverse and inclusive society.
Jersey is also home to a twinning system, which sees the Island’s communities united with others in France, Portugal and Germany.
All twelve of Jersey’s Parishes are twinned with towns in Normandy and Brittany.
The Island’s capital, St Helier, is also twinned with Funchal in Madeira, Bad Wurzach in Germany and as of February 2022, Mykolaiv in Ukraine.
The European nationals that call Jersey home make an invaluable social, cultural and economic contribution to our Island community.
Jersey has one of the highest proportions of resident EU nations (16%) outside the EU.
Jersey’s EU settlement scheme ensures EU nationals can continue to live and work in the island after Brexit. The scheme protects the rights of EU nationals who lived in the island prior to 2021 and ensures these residents have the right to relocate to the UK if they wish to post-Brexit.
In 2021, over 16,000 successful applicants had been granted settled status out of over 17,000 applications.
There are currently 11 Honorary Consuls in Jersey, and the Government of Jersey is committed to supporting their work.
Place names evidence also reflects the movement of people. Many of the Island’s coastal areas have names of Norse origin because Viking raiders named the Island’s distinctive features as they moved through the area. Grosnez is derived from the Norse word ‘ness’ meaning a headland, L’Etacq and L’Etacquerel come from ‘stakkr’ meaning stack or large rock, Les Mielles from ‘melr’ meaning a sand dune, and Le Hocq from ‘hoc’ meaning a hook. From 931 AD, the Island was settled by Normans and inland place names are generally French in origin, a tradition which continues to this day.